


Don't look into my eyes, it's where my demons hide

by orphan_account



Series: Pepsicola (John/Dave) [1]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Angst and Fluff and Smut, Asshole Caliborn, Boys Kissing, F/F, Fluff, Highschoolstuck, Its implied, M/M, Minor Character Death, Pepsicola, actually no im not, and deviantart, and for their foul language, doesnt actually show so, first story so go easy, i lied about no smut, johndave - Freeform, lol im surprised thats a tag, no smut sorry, on quotev, rated m for self harm and death, someone oughta wash their mouths out with soap, sorta lol, theres like three plot arcs and the rest is filler, they're online buddies but don't know it, uploaded from quotev, uploaded it three weeks after i started it lol, wow i suck at tags, yeah theres angst but its mostly fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-13
Updated: 2016-12-29
Packaged: 2018-05-01 12:12:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 37
Words: 15,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5205452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He was the nerdy kid, he was the cool kid. They meet, let's see what happens.<br/> <br/>Lame description I know.</p><p> </p><p>Not a songfic</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a story I've been wanting to do for a while! This is Homestuck, so if you don't like swearing, then how the hell did you even get through Homestuck?? This is also a bxb story, but its JohnDave, and who doesn't love JohnDave <3

~John's POV~

I woke up to my alarm, turning it off. I couldn't be late for the first day of school, after all! I got out of bed, got dressed, did my bathroom stuff, then finally started down the staircase. Those damn clowns, why does Dad even have them? They're so creepy. I shuddered and speed walked into the kitchen where my dad was waiting with, guess what, a breakfast cake. How does he find new ways to make cakes every day?  
However, I don't complain and eat the cake. When I'm done, I grab my backpack, say goodbye to my dad, and leave the house.

~Dave's POV~  
Ugh. Morning already? Oh well, I guess I can't be late. Bro would push me harder in today's strife if I was late, I found that out the hard way. I dragged myself out of bed, threw some clothes on, made myself decent, grabbed some Doritos and apple juice from the fridge and my backpack, and left. Bro knows I left, he always knows. There's just no tricking that guy.  
The walk to school was long and boring. I pulled out some headphones and turned on my music. This was going to be a looong day.

~John's POV~  
When I got to school, I was amazed. It was so big! Still dazed, I walked up the stairs, almost bumping into someone. Apologizing, I made my way in. I was in Mr. Vantas's homeroom, so I headed there first.  
When I got there, barely anyone was in the room, except for a few people and the teacher who was writing on the board. I found a seat and sat down. This was going to be so awesome!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what did you guys think of the first chapter? I'm sorry about all the POV changes by the way Q-Q FORGIVE MEH!  
> This is chapter one of hopefully many, because I know how frustrating it is to read a 10 chapter long story and want more. So hopefully this one will be pretty long!!


	2. Chapter 2

~Dave's POV~  
I got into class a bit early, which was a surprise. There were only a couple people in there already, one being the teacher, Mr. Vantas. He pointed to something on the board saying we could sit anywhere, then started writing on the board. I plunked my bag down next to a chair and sat down. A few minutes passed, then that kid who bumped into me on the stairs walked in. He seemed excited, which was strange. But whatever floats your boat, man. He sat down a few rows over.

~John's POV~  
The rest of the class filed in, then my first day of high school officially started! Our teacher, Mr. Vantas, told us to ask someone a few questions about them, but nothing too 'triggering'. He looked like he wanted to give a lecture about triggers, but didn't.  
~timeskip (you thought John and Dave were going to be partners didn't you)~  
The bell rang, signaling end of homeroom. Next I had science, more specifically, biology. That sounded fun! I pulled out my school map and looked at it. Turns out, science is at the other end of the school. I might be able to make it if I take this route...

~Author-chan's POV~  
What John didn't know, is the hallway he decided to go through, was where the school assholes hung out and ditched class. He maneuvered through the crowds, heading closer and closer to the forbidden hallway, as the other students called it. He was confused why no one else was going there, but shrugged it off and kept going. (*le wild Stewie or whatever appears* IT'S A TRAP! Me: go away!)

~Dave's POV~  
I was a bit late in leaving homeroom because the teacher gave me a lecture on how it's 'very triggering to wear sunglasses indoors, Mr. Strider, because blah blah blah.' No one else was in the hallways, and I was late as is, so I decided to go through the 'forbidden hallway'. I would be fine, I had earned myself a reputation through middle school and the guys who hung there knew about me. As I got closer, I heard the sounds of some poor kid being beat up. That wasn't good. I started running, getting there just in time to see the leader punch that one guy in the face. The one who's in my homeroom. I ran up to him and delivered one of my sick right hooks. He fell to the floor, unconscious. Serves the bastard right. Damn, his head is hard. I shook my hand to get rid of the pain, grabbed the guy's arm, and walked out of the hallway, ignoring the others' awestruck looks. I brought him to the nurse's office. His name was John Egbert, as I learned while Nurse Calliope was fussing over him. Egbert, huh. I guess I'll see him around.


	3. Chapter 3

~Author-chan's POV~  
The rest of the day passed with no incident. John was pretty grateful to Dave for saving him, and now knew not to go near that hallway. Dave found himself thinking about John (or Egderp, as he called him) a lot. He put it down to worrying that he would get beat up again. John too was thinking about Dave, although he didn't know his name yet, so John just called him Mr. Glasses. 

~John's POV~  
I walked home slowly. I touched the bruises on my face, wincing. Nurse Calliope said I was lucky to go without a broken nose, and lucky that the other guy found me. What did she say his name was? Oh well, I'll find out sooner or later. "Hey, you. Egbert." Someone called from behind me. I froze and slowly turned around. My eyes widened a bit- it was the guy who saved me! "U-um, hi. How do you..?" I stuttered. Damn it, why did I stutter? "I heard Nurse Calliope fussing over you. You okay?" His eyes were blocked by his shades which he refused to take off, but I could sense that he was genuinely worried. "Yeah, I'm fine." I reassured. 

~Dave's POV~  
"You know, it's kinda creepy to know my name when I don't know yours," Egderp joked. Stupid, stupid, stupid! That does seem creepy. "Strider. Dave Strider." I said like a badass. He giggled. "Well then, hello Mr. Strider. I'm John Egbert." He stuck out his hand. I warily grabbed it and shook. Well, he didn't flip me over like Bro. I doubt he could anyway. "It's a pleasure," I said in a mock British accent. Egderp laughed. I could already tell that this would be the start of a great friendship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, John knows Dave's name now. That means Dave doesn't seem like a stalker anymore! *confetti*  
> Sorry if the chapters are a bit short. To me, they seem long. Anyway! Will this be friendship, or more?~  
> Eh the title kinda gives it away XD


	4. Chapter 4

~John's POV~  
When I got home, I was still grinning. My dad must've thought I was high or something. Imagine seeing someone walk through the door, with bruises and cuts but grinning like an idiot. Yep. That's me. He had a cake ready for me, as a 'welcome-home-how-was-your-first-day-of-school' treat. My mind was still preoccupied, so I didn't notice myself take the cake and go upstairs. The clowns- excuse me, FANCIFUL HARLEQUINS- didn't even bother me.   
  
~Author-chan's POV brought to you by GamTav~  
The rest of the day passed in a blur for John. Poor kid, didn't even realize he was in love. (Crap I ruined it. Let's try again.)  
The rest of the day passed in a blur for John. He ate the cake, did some homework, and watched Ghostbusters. (Much better.)  His mind was on none of those things. However for Dave, the afternoon passed excruciatingly painfully. (big words yay) His bro did push him in their daily strife, even though he was on time.   
  
~Dave's POV~  
Damn it!! Why the hell is he pushing me so hard, I was on time to school today! I fell to my knees. Exhausted, bloody, and beat up. "Had enough, little man?" Bro smirked. Stupid Bro. "That teaches you not to be late home." He walked back into the apartment, like an asshole. I dragged myself up, but suddenly thought of Egderp. For some reason, that was enough to get me up and going. Maybe because he's my friend and I have to protect him? Man, I don't fucking know anymore. I cleaned myself up and logged onto Pesterchum.  
  
~Author-chan's POV again~  
Both John and Dave's Pesterchums dinged at the same time. They didn't know it, but they were already friends. Of course, neither knew the other was their online friend. If that makes sense. John immediately pestered Dave.  
  
[04:13] -- ectoBiologist [EB] began pestering turntechGodhead [TG] at [04:13] -- (omg the time thing was a coincidence I swear)  
[EB]: hey  
[TG]: sup bro  
[EB]: i just finished ghostbusters  
[EB]: you?  
[TG]: you are obsessed with that movie  
[EB]: am not! :B  
[TG]: well i just got done with a strife with bro  
[TG]: man that guy is good  
[TG]: i cant even get him to break a sweat but he has me on my knees after ten minutes  
[EB]: that sucks  
[EB]: wait, why is there a cake plate in my room  
[TG]: wait  
[TG]: i thought you said a CAKE plate in your room  
[TG]: dont you hate cake?  
[EB]: i do!  
[EB]: i dont know why its in here  
[TG]: ah fuck it  
[TG]: who cares anyway  
[EB]: not me  
[EB]: i have to go, my dad needs me for something  
[TG]: better see what he wants  
\-- ectoBiologist [EB] ceased pestering turntechGodhead [TG] --


	5. Halloween Special!

~John's POV~  
I slammed the door to my locker. Man, what a day. Dave came up to me. "Hey, dude," He greeted. I sighed. "Hi, Dave."  
"What's up?" He asked, picking up on my mood. "It's nothing. Just the ridiculous amount of homework." I explained. The teachers have given us a preposterous amount of homework due tomorrow, and it was Halloween for crying out loud!! Dave pondered for a bit and nodded, confirming something. "Listen," he starts. "You are going to come over to my place in either the shittiest or the best costume you can find. Got it?" I was a bit taken aback, but agreed all the same.  
  
~timeskip brought to you by ghosties and ghoulies~  
  
I knocked on Dave's apartment door, dressed like a ghostbuster. What were we gonna do, anyway? The door opened. I had to suppress a laugh- Dave was dressed as an apple juice box. His face remained stoic as ever, even though his shades were off- for once- pupils and irises completely red. They must be colored contacts. He walked out, holding two candy buckets like you would get at a store. "Are you ready to do this shit?" He asked me. "Hell yeah!" I cheered.   
  
~Author-chan's POV brought to you by the picture~  
The two boys walked around town. Their buckets were overflowing with candy, but they solved that problem in their own ways. Dave emptied his candy into his costume, which was a box, so the candy wouldn't fall out. John, however, inserted the candy into his ghost-vacuum-thing. They did this multiple times, but I'm going off on a tangent here. They roamed, collecting candy and doing stupid stuff for shits and giggles until midnight. Then they went back to Dave's apartment to watch horror movies while eating candy. A few movies later (they were sitting on the floor at this point), Dave went to ask John something- but noticed he was fast asleep, leaning on Dave's shoulder. Dave smiled, which was rare, and leaned his head on John's, where he fell asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

~John's POV~   
Oh.   
Hell.   
Fucking.   
No.   
My dad called me away from my computer for THIS??   
Stupid me, taking the cake. Now he probably wants to bake and stuff with me! I don't want to let him down, he looks so happy in front of all those cake boxes... But, I guess it can't be helped. I did a backwards youth roll out of the kitchen. (nice abscond) I scampered up the staircase, launched myself into my room, and shut and locked the door. Pretty awesome, if I do say so myself. I got back onto my computer.   
   
[04:25] -- ectoBiologist [EB] began pestering turntechGodhead [TG] at [04:25] --   
[EB]: that was close   
[TG]: what was   
[EB]: my dad almost got me to bake with him   
[TG]: you got out of there right   
[TG]: got out of there like a train leaving the station   
[TG]: and the passengers are like   
[TG]: oh hell yes we're out of that station    
[EB]: :B   
[EB]: exactly   
[TG]: damn how many ways can he make cake   
[TG]: this is like   
[TG]: the four hundred thirteenth cake now   
[TG]: right?   
[EB]: pretty much   
[EB]: i think i'm gonna go watch con air   
[TG]: yeah ok have fun with your mancrush   
[EB]: he's not my mancrush!   
[TG]: whatever dude   
\-- turntechGodhead [TG] ceased pestering ectoBiologist [EB] --   
  
I huffed. Damn you, TG. Oh well, Con Air won't watch itself!


	7. Chapter 7

~Dave's POV~  
That kid is obsessed with Nic Cage. What does he even see in him, anyway?  
Lil' Cal appeared next to me. "Oh, uh, hey Cal," I say. I hate to admit it, but that thing scares the fuck out of me.  
**Dave: Give Cal a fist bump.**  
Nah, Cal's cool. I nervously give him a fist bump.  
Wow, I should probably do that homework. Said only nerds. I think I'll draw some Hella Jeff and Sweet Bro.  
I sit down and start to draw the shittiest awesomest comic ever to exist. After a few minutes of drawing, I look at what I've done. Wait, what the fuck? I drew me and Egderp kissing, there's no way that could happen.  
I mean, no homo, right?

~Author-chan's POV~  
No, Dave. All the homo. Uh, I mean (new character. get it together, Alexia!)

A few blocks away, a girl sat at her desk, lost on her computer. She decided to pester her friend, John.

[04:31] -- authoricallyIndustrious [AI] began pestering ectoBiologist [EB] at [04:31]  
[AI]: hey john  
[EB]: oh hi lexi!  
[EB]: what's up?  
[AI]: just bored out of my godd4mn m1nd  
[AI]: wh4t 4bout you?  
[EB]: i'm watching con air  
[AI]: 4g41n?  
[AI]: ser1ously john, th4t's l1ke the f1fth t1me you've watched 1t.  
[AI]: TH1S WEEK.  
[AI]: 4ND 1T'S ONLY MOND4Y.  
[EB]: hey, i don't criticize you for liking anime!  
[AI]: th4t's d1fferent  
[AI]: on so m4ny levels  
[AI]: do not even go there  
[EB]: okay, sorry.  
[AI]: 1t's cool  
[AI]: so how w4s school  
[EB]: i got beat up  
[EB]: but i met a cool dude so i guess it's okay  
[AI]: 1 sh1p 1t 4lre4dy  
[AI]: when 4re you go1ng to confess your undy1ng love for th1s guy  
[EB]: shut up  
[EB]: i'm pretty sure he's straight  
[AI]: but 4re you?  
\-- authoricallyIndustrious [AI] ceased pestering ectoBiologist [EB] --  
[EB]: what the fuck lexi

That last remark set John to thinking. Was he actually straight, or did he have a crush on Dave (even though it's only been a day since they met and they know each other online but just don't know it yet)? He decided to keep these feelings locked up, after all, he didn't want to scare off his new friend! (very cheesy, i know)

 

 

A/N- yes that's my actual chum handle!  
and yes that's my quirk  
sue me >:P  
but johnny is questioning his sexuality now  
so i guess it's alright  
derp :P


	8. Chapter 8

~Dave's POV~  
My alarm blared. I slammed it then  _actually got up._ Normally I would hit the snooze a few times, but I guess today was different. I did my normal morning routine, grabbed some Doritos, apple juice, and backpack, and headed out the door.   
~short timeskip~  
I sat down. The teacher lectured me on how 'it is very triggering to eat in class, and it's not even a proper meal, Mr. Strider, and that can be very triggering to some people blah blah blah'. What is it with that guy and triggers? I saw an already familiar person walk in. When he sat down, I moved so I was next to him. "Sup, Egderp," I greeted. He turned to me and smiled. "Hi, Dave!" He said cheerfully. I stretched and lay my head on the desk. "It's too fucking early for this," I mumbled. John heard and giggled. It was the most girly sounding laugh I had ever heard, but I guess it was kinda cute. Mr. Vantas's head snapped up. "Mr. Strider," he hissed. "Watch your language. It is very-" I zoned out after that. I was snapped out of it, quite literally. "Mr. Strider! Are you even listening? Though I realize this might be triggering, I'm sending you to the principal." I blinked behind my glasses. No biggie.   
  
~John's POV~  
"I'm sending you to the principal!"  
That's just unreasonable! "M-Mr. Vantas, it was me who said that. Not Dave." I almost couldn't believe the words coming out of my mouth. The teacher turned to me. "It was? Then I'm sorry Mr. Egbert, but I'm afraid I will have to send you to the principal's office too." He said, still slightly angry. Dave almost seemed to perk up. He stood up, grabbed my arm, and dragged me out of class- all the while flipping off Mr. Vantas. We were halfway down the hall before I heard him explode, naming triggers and just  _not stopping._  Dave laughed and let go of my arm. I almost didn't want him to, but was interrupted by Dave shouting, "Let's fuck shit UP!" I smiled.   
  
~Author-chan's POV~  
The two boys ran around school for the rest of the period, wreaking havoc. They made faces in windows, trashed the bathrooms, even snuck into the cafeteria and stole some food. Then, Dave led John onto the roof where they sat and chilled. They were too busy laughing to focus on eating, nor did they realize that the principal was right behind them.  
  
  
A/N- welp, they pissed off Kankri and the principal who remains to be named, stole food, and had a ditch day inside of school.  
Also cliffhanger yay!


	9. Chapter 9

~Author-chan's POV~  
The boys ceased laughing at the sound of a shoe tapping. They slowly looked  up to see an angry, bald principal staring down at them. "Come with me, boys," He said, eerily calm. "We have some things to discuss."  
  
~timeskip~  
  
Dave and John sat in the principal's office. The placard on the desk read "Principal Scratch". Said man was pacing. John was trying to make himself small as possible, while Dave was sprawled on the chair as if he couldn't care less. Scratch stopped. He turned to Dave. "If my sources are correct, it was you who got into trouble first, right?" He asked, still scary calm. Dave nodded. "Guilty as charged." John gave a half smile at that remark. It was soon wiped from his face as Scratch turned to him. "And it was you who tried to take the blame, correct?" John meekly nodded. "Yes," He squeaked. It was Dave's turn to half smile. The principal sighed. "Detention. Two weeks. Both of you." After that parting statement, he sat down at his desk and began to work.  
  
John's mouth hung open, while Dave stood up, gently took John's arm, and led him out into the hall. "D-d-d-detention?" John stuttered out. The other boy scratched the back of his head apologetically. "Yeah. I've gotten worse." He picked up on John's appalled state. "Hey, it won't be that bad. Trust me." He reassured. The smaller boy looked up at him. "B-but my dad will kill me.. and what if those guys who beat me up are there-" He was cut off by Dave engulfing him in a hug. "Don't worry," He said softly. "I'll protect you."

 

 

 

A/N- this one is short but johndave fluff so i'm sorry but yay!  
also I should have mentioned this earlier but I'm sorry if I make any characters OOC!


	10. Chapter 10

~Dave's POV~  
The final bell rang. It was no big deal for me, but I can tell John is freaking. I hoisted my backpack over one shoulder and John did the same. (they were back in class) I wanted to grab his hand to comfort him, but settled for his wrist. "Come on," I said gently. "It's this way." I led him out of the classroom up a couple flights of stairs- because elevators are for pussies- and down a hall. We stopped in front of a pretty beat-up door. I turned to John, who was hyperventilating.  "Hey. It'll be okay." I said. He nodded a bit uncertainly. I opened the door, letting go of his wrist as I did.  
  
~John's POV~   
He let go of my wrist, opening the door. I felt a bit more vulnerable. We walked in, a few people- scratch that, trolls- already there. A short-ish troll shouting at a hipster-looking troll who was shouting right back, calling the other a 'mutant freak'. There was also a guy wearing 3D glasses, looking like he didn't give two shits and a girl who was grinning and occasionally licking something. We sat down at the back of the room.  The teacher, who looked a lot like Nurse Calliope, started yelling. "ALRIGHT, SHuT THE FuCK uP. EVERYONE IS FINALLY HERE." I shrunk down in my seat a bit more. The teacher shuffled some papers. On the board behind him, he had written "Caliborn". I assumed that was his name. "NOW. I'M CHECKING TO SEE WHO'S HERE SO I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ANOTHER WORD OuT OF ANY OF YOu!"   
  
~Dave's POV~   
"Are you going to talk about it, or are you going to actually do it?" I called out. John turned to me. "Dave! Shut up! You'll get into even more trouble!" He whispered. "BOTH OF YOu! ANOTHER WEEK IN HERE!" Caliborn shouted out. I smirked. "Is that all, Mr. Shouty?" I taunted. By now, all eyes were on me. Caliborn turned a dark red. "DETENTION FOR THE REST OF THE SEMESTER!!" He screamed. "Coolio." I said, stood up, grabbed both my stuff and John's, took hold of his wrist again and left.  
"Dave what the hell was that!" John yelled. "Showing up the teacher. Also showing that neither one of us is to be messed with. Hopefully that means those guys won't beat you up anymore." I replied, face showing no emotion.   
  
~Author-chan's POV~  
Or so he thought.  
  
~John's POV~  
Dave's face showed a flicker of emotion. Care? Concern? I started tearing up at his thoughtfulness. I stopped walking. Dave turned to me. "What's up?" He asked. I detached his hand from my wrist, instead clinging to his arm. Dave half smiled and continued walking, me still attached to his arm. "I told you I would protect you, didn't I?" He asked, barely audible.

 

 

  
  
A/N- ALL HAIL THE JOHNDAVE DETENTION FLUFF  
Also showing up Caliborn yay *u*


	11. Chapter 11

~Author-chan's POV~  
The two boys walked out of the school. Both were quiet, lost in thought about the other. Neither wanted to part just yet, so Dave walked John home. Stopping at his driveway, Dave turned to John. "Here we are," He said quietly. "Thanks," John replied, just as quiet. He went inside, waving to Dave.

~John's POV~  
As soon as I got inside, I ditched my backpack and ran upstairs. I immediately got onto my computer. turntechGodhead wasn't on yet. Weird. Oh well, I guess I can spend some time doing homework or something.  
~about 45 minutes later~  
There, done. I looked at my handiwork. Seriously, exterior angles? Easy. My computer dinged. I dashed over to see that he FINALLY got on. I sent him a message.

[05:15] -- ectoBiologist [EB] began pestering turntechGodhead [TG] at [05:15] --  
[EB]: hey  
[TG]: sup  
[EB]: uh  
[EB]: i need some advice  
[EB]: and you have to promise not to judge  
[TG]: cross my heart  
[TG]: now whats up  
[EB]: i think  
[EB]: i might have a crush on a guy i met at school  
[TG]: woah shit dude really  
[TG]: i think im having the same problem  
[EB]: wait what  
[EB]: are you serious  
[TG]: like the guy in charge at a funeral  
[TG]: getting no jokes in cause it would be too inappropriate  
[EB]: i'd say you're pretty serious then  
[EB]: what do i do???  
[TG]: maybe like flirt lowkey or something  
[TG]: but if you dont want to scare him off  
[TG]: dont be your geeky self  
[EB]: what!  
[TG]: no offense but youre pretty geeky bro  
[EB]: screw that  
[EB]: >:B  
[TG]: fine whatever  
[TG]: maybe if you try the flirting thing  
[EB]: maybe  
[EB]: thanks for the help :)  
[TG]: no problem dude  
\-- ectoBiologist [EB] ceased pestering turntechGodhead [TG] --

 

A/N- yay john and dave realize they like each other!!  
let's see what happens the next day though  
i don't know what'll happen yet, but i bet it would be hilarious!!  
(yes I do)  
(but you don't so um)  
(ON TO THE NEXT CHAPTER)


	12. Chapter 12

~timeskip to next day~  
  
~John's POV~  
I nervously walked to school. If TG's advice was accurate, I should be flirting today. Oh god I'm so nervous!! I rehearsed the flirts in my head that I looked up last night.  _You're sweeter than 3.14.. wait no, that sounds weird. Uh.. Did your parents work on the Manhattan project? Because you're the bomb.. Oh wait fuck, he said he doesn't have parents.. Umm.... Oh wait! Maybe Ghostbusters will help.. Yeah. Ghostbusters always helps._  
By that time, he was already at school. He walked in, determined to flirt with Dave.  
  
~timeskip to end of the day~  
  
The final bell rang. I was super nervous. Dave got his stuff and came to meet me. "You ready?" He asked. "Yeah," I replied. He had no idea how ready I was. We walked outside and towards my house. "Um.. I'm the keymaster, are you the gatekeeper?" I asked, feeling pretty proud. I mean, come on. That was like the best line. Dave turned to me, confused. "What?"  _Fuck._  "I mean, uh.. I-I'll be your Starlord..?" I cringed. What the FUCK was that?? "Hold on a second. Are you.. trying to flirt with me?" He asked. My face turned pure red. "I, uh.. maybe.." I said in a small voice. He stopped. My heart stopped as well. Fuck, did I ruin it? I ruined it. What the hell is wrong with me??  
Dave turned toward me and...  
  
  


 

  
  
A/N- cliffhanger because I'm evil :3

I literally spent an hour looking up geeky pick up lines >.<


	13. Chapter 13

~John's POV~  
My legs ached. Why did I have to take this stupid class, anyway? Dave raced past me, waving and smirking a little. I groaned. "Com3 on, 3gb3rt! K33p 1t up!" Coach Latula yelled. A few more laps and it was over. Sadly, we had to start something else. Latula rounded everyone up and put us in two lines. Dave was to the left of me. "4lr1ght, 3v3ryon3! W3 4r3 go1ng to pl4y b4sk3tb4ll! Th3 l1n3z you 4r3 1n w1ll b3 your t34mz!" She shot a basketball into a nearby net. "Th1s w1ll b3 t34m on3'z hoop" She gestured to our team and shot the basketball into the other net. "4nd th4t w1ll b3 t34m two'z hoop! Go!" She blew her whistle. One person from each team went forward and determined who's ball it was.   
~timeskip because basketball ew~  
I cheered, as did the rest of our team. We had won! And next was lunch, thank god. We hurried to change. After, Dave slung an arm around my shoulders and pulled me to the cafeteria. We sat down as we had both brought lunch that day. As we were eating and talking, a few trolls came up to us. It was the people who were in detention with us, minus the hipster guy. "H3Y, YOU S33M PR3TTY COOL. C4N W3 S1T W1TH YOU?" The girl asked.   
  
~Dave's POV~  
I exchanged a look with John. "Sure," I said. They sat down. Introductions were passed around, and we learned their names. Terezi, Karkat, and Sollux. They were pretty cool, I'll admit. But not cool as me. Never. Slowly, more and more trolls joined until our table was full. The newcomers were Terezi, Karkat, and Sollux's friends, and their names were Aradia, Tavros, Nepeta, Kanaya, Vriska (no one seemed to really like her that much), Equius, Gamzee (who spaced out a lot), Eridan (the hipster), and Feferi. (I'm gonna skip to the end of the day bc yeah)  
  
The final bell rang. I slammed my Geography textbook shut, crammed it in my backpack, and waited for John. Jeez, he was so slow. While he was packing up, I admired him. The roundness of his face, his long lashes, his blue eyes. He was.. perfect. Oh god, now I seem all cheesy and sappy like one of those movies. "Dave? Daaaaave? Earth to Dave, are you there?" I was snapped out of my "trance" by his voice. 

 

 

 

 

wow idek what this is. maybe a look into dave's thoughts and meeting the rest of the trolls? oh well.


	14. Chapter 14

~John's POV~  
I smiled and giggled a little. Dave can be so silly sometimes. I reached over and wiped a bit of drool. "Dude, you're drooling." I informed him. He blushed a little. "Whatever, let's just get out of here." He grabbed my wrist and pulled me out of the classroom.  
(wow this is crap. well i wrote this when i was watching Cry play Catherine, so.. onward to the good part!)

~timeskip to next Monday~

~still John's POV~  
I walked into class, looking around for Dave. I didn't see him. Maybe he's late or something.. My train of thought was interrupted by a troll sitting down next to me. The short, shouty one. Karkat, I think his name was? Beep beep meow. Hehe.  
Fingers snapped in front of my face. "Are you listening, fuckass?" He growled. "Sorry," I replied a bit nervously. "As I was saying, the nookwhiffers I'm usually around aren't here, and the douche you're always with isn't here either, so do you want to hang out?" I was caught off guard. Him, Shouty McNubs, wanted to hang out with me? "Uh, sure."

~Author-chan's POV~  
The two spent the rest of the day together, seeing as they had most of the same classes and Dave was sick. They exchanged movie interests and quickly became friends. He was also a good guy to go to for advice, which John thought was strange, considering his surly demeanor. The rest of the week passed this way, in fact, and apparently Dave had caught the flu and his bro wouldn't let him leave the apartment. Karkat started calling John his moirail, which John had no idea what that meant, but after a lesson about quadrants from Karkat, he was able to get the general idea.

~timeskip to Monday again~

~Dave's POV~  
Ugh, I still feel like crap. Having the flu sucks ass. Eh, time to face the week, see John, and *shudder* catch up on missed work. I walked into class, instantly scanning the room for Egderp. When I spotted him, I felt something. He was sitting, joking, and laughing with that rude troll. Karnubs. I think the feeling is 'jealousy'.

"John..?"

 

 

plot twist (ish)!  
Davey's jealous, John found a moirail, and Karnubs is wrecking their shit. I mean.  
I wrote the first part and kinda added to it while I was watching Cry Plays: Catherine [P3] a week later so.. yeah.


	15. Chapter 15

~John's POV~  
"John..?"  
I turned my head to see Dave. Oh yay, he's back! I fully turned towards him. "Dave! Glad you're back!" I grinned. He glared at Karkat and seemed a little hurt. Wait. Is he.. jealous?  
He huffed. "I see you don't need me.." I could barely hear him. He turned and left the classroom. I quickly explained to my 'moirail' what was going on and he actually seemed eager for me to leave? Wow, today is just confusing.  
I dashed after Dave, who turned a corner. When I got around the stupid conjunction of walls, he was nowhere in sight- although there was a bathroom right there. I tentatively walked up to it. "Dave? Are you in there?" I called quietly. I heard a sniff in return. It wasn't much, but it was enough. I cautiously made my way in, seeing Dave huddled inside his sweater. "Dave isn't here right now, he's in sweater town," He said softly. I crouched down next to him and gently pulled down the sweater from his face.   
  
~Dave's POV~  
The red of my sweater turned into fluorescent white as the sweater was pulled down. My glasses were still on, thank god. I sniffled a bit and turned the other way. "Dave.. Is this about Karkat? Because me and him are just friends, I swear," I heard John say, but I didn't believe it. "How can I know if that's true?" I laughed. It was bitter and humorless. Fingers gripped my chin and pulled my face towards the owner of the fingers. Concern was all I saw in his blue eyes. "I chose to go after you instead of stay with Karkles, didn't I?" He asked.  I felt a little stupid. "Yeah, I guess you're right.." Care was the next emotion I saw. "Why would I leave an amazing boyfriend for Shouty McNubs?" He asked, eliciting a laugh from me. "Shouty McNubs? Oh man, I'm definitely going to call him that." We shared a laugh and headed back to class.  
  
~Karkat's POV (bet you didn't see that coming)~  
Egderp left to chase after Mr. Cool, just like in one of my romcoms. It's going to be fine between them, I just know it.  
A few minutes passed. That should be enough time for those two fuckasses to make up. Right on cue, they walked in, grinning like dorks. I smirked in satisfaction. Knew it.   
For some reason though, Dave kept looking over at me and cracking up. I'll ask John about it later.  
  
  


 

 

 

Did you like Karkles's little moment there? :3  
Sorry if I made him a bit OOC, I'm not really experienced in writing from his viewpoint.. *sweatdrop*  
But yay they made up!


	16. Chapter 16

~Author-chan's POV~  
John paced in his room anxiously, looking over at his closet- which hung open with clothes scattered everywhere- every so often.  
After about half an hour of pacing, he settled for a dark blue dress shirt and jeans. From there, he nervously made his way downstairs.  
"H-Hey, Dad, I'm going out on a date in a bit.." John said in a small voice. Dadbert's head whipped to face his son. Tears could be seen welling in his eyes. "My son is finally going out on his first date.. I want to meet the lucky girl!" John sweatdropped. "Um.. sure, Dad."  
  
~still Author-chan's POV but we're going to where Dave is and reverse timeskipping to when John was pacing, okay?~  
"-and remember to use protection, alright, little man?" Dave cringed. His bro had just finished lecturing him on what to do and what not to do on a date. Oh, the horror. "I know, I know all this! Besides, I don't think it's possible to get the person I'm taking on this date pregnant.." Bro thought for a second before lighting up. "You finally accepted the rainbow!" He engulfed Dave in a hug, before being shoved off. "Shut up!" Dave protested. $100 was stuffed into his hand with the order to take 'the lucky guy' somewhere nice. Dave grumbled, darting into his room to change. He emerged wearing a red dress top and regular jeans. (totally did not plan that) He scurried out the door, lightly jogging to John's house.  
  
~back to John, but you're still stuck with me~  
The doorbell rang, disturbing the Egbert household. John leapt out of his chair in an attempt to get to the door first, but it was futile; you can't outrun what's already here. (by that I mean Dadbert was waiting by the door) (but see what I did there)  
The door opened. A muffled conversation could be heard, before a scared-looking Dave walked in, Dadbert trailing behind.

 

 

 

 

  
Welp, Dadbert met Dave. How could this possibly go wrong? >:3


	17. Chapter 17

~John's POV~  
_Oh god. I'm so,_ so  _incredibly nervous. I mean, who wouldn't be nervous? My dad just met my boyfriend. This is like, code red. World War D here. I'm rambling, and probably just overreacting._  
Dad looked at me, then back at Dave. He seems pretty angry.. He made a face then started speaking. "John... Is this your date?" I nodded fearfully. "Care to explain?"  _This is where I die._ "Well.. We met about two, three months ago? The first day of school. We actually knew each other online but didn't know it and.. um. We became friends and I started to get a crush on him but I was confused but now I  _know_ I really really like him and then I gave him some really shitty pick up lines and then he kissed me and then we started dating and, um, now we're here." Dave interjected.  
  
~Dave's POV~  
"Sir, if I may." John's dad nodded. "I really like your son, I'll even go as far to say I love him. We may have only known each other a few months, but it feels like we've known each other for years. I would never,  _EVER_ even  _think_ of hurting him in any way. You have my permission to kill me if I do. He means the world to me, and I-I would just  _ **die**_ if I were to lose him. Please, don't take him away from me. Give us your blessing. If you did, and if I was to spontaneously die after, I would die the happiest man in the world. Please." My voice had faded to a whisper at the end, as I wiped a tear. I didn't know I had been crying. John was close to tears, moved by my speech. His dad seemed deep in thought. He turned to John. "You've landed yourself a fine boy." My heart leaped. "But I don't approve." It instantly shattered.  
  
~John's POV~  
"But dad, I love him-" He cut me off. "This has been going on for a few months." I nodded. "And you didn't tell me." I shook my head warily, fearing for my life. "And if I am correct, this is your first date." I nodded again. "And you like boys, not girls." It seemed like a stupid question, but I nodded anyway.   
"Okay,  you can go on this date. But when you come back, it will only be for your stuff. When you come back, it will be the last time. Got it?"  
  
  
  


 

 

  
 

>:3  
None of you saw that coming, did you?  
It was kinda hard writing Dave's confession, but once I started, it was hard to stop.  
But OMG THEY LOVE EACH OTHER  
Wow, never thought I would be fangirling over my own story XD  
I literally just sat down and started typing ~~(after wasting time on Pinterest)~~


	18. Chapter 18

~John's POV~  
I couldn't speak. I couldn't move. When I finally found my voice, it was thick. "W-what do you mean, Dad?" He responded with, "No son of mine will like another boy and live under my roof." With that, he turned around and disappeared into his office. I can't believe this. What am I supposed to do? "Hey." A quiet voice caught my attention. I turned and looked at Dave, who engulfed me in a hug. "We'll figure this out," he whispered. I couldn't take it anymore. I started sobbing, burying my face in Dave's chest. We rocked back and forth like that for about ten minutes, until I was just sniffling. Dave pecked my forehead and pulled out his phone. "Do you still want to go on that date? I can call my bro if you want, we have a spare room.." He asked quietly. Nodding, I filled with rage. NO father should treat their son like that. He's no father of mine, how DARE he make me choose between him and Dave??   
  
~Author-chan's POV~  
Dave smiled and pulled the shorter boy out the door, who was still fuming. They hopped in Dave's bro's car and drove off. Where did they go, you ask? They went to the movie theater. Letting their inner children out, they got tickets to watch the Peanuts movie and bought a whole bunch of popcorn and candy. It might seem strange to some, seeing two teenage boys sitting in a children's movie wearing dress shirts and eating a bunch of candy, but who cares.   
  
About halfway through the movie, they ran out of soda, so Dave went to get more. When he came back, he was carrying an extra large cup of apple juice. John found this funnier than the movie and they were almost kicked out.  
  
When the movie was over, Dave drove John back to his house to pick some stuff up. They went silently up the stairs, ignoring Dadbert who was in turn ignoring them. John looked sadly around the room he spent his life in, that he would see no more of. He packed a box of clothes and then a box of various oddities, such as his favorite book, Colonel Sassacre's Daunting Text of Magical Frivolity and Practical Japery. John also packed up his various movie posters and his cosbytop. He would need that. Finally, he was packed. He nodded to Dave who took a box. There were only two boxes, so it took only one trip. They walked out the door for the final time. 

 

 

 

  
  
tbh I wrote everything else before the date scene. I just couldn't find inspiration for that part :P


	19. Chapter 19

~Author-chan's POV~  
Dave parked the car in the parking lot of his apartment complex, opening the door for John after getting out himself. This managed to bring a smile to the shorter boy's face. They carried the boxes inside and into the elevator, where they put them down. The Striders lived on the top floor so they had some time to rest.   
They spent that time talking about what to expect from Dave's bro. By the time the door opened, John considered himself prepared. However, he was not prepared to see what he did.  
Bro Strider (i think i'll just type Dirk from now on) was kneeling in the middle of the hallway, painting a giant paper in all colors of the rainbow. Dave managed to facepalm while holding a box. "Bro, what are you doing." He deadpanned. Dirk's head whipped around before breaking into a huge smile. He took John's box from him and pulled him into a hug. "Hey! You must be John. I'm Dirk, Dave's bro. We have an extra room, that is, if you want to stay in there~" Cue eyebrow wiggle and Dave's facepalm. John blushed at that. "Sorry to hear about your dad, by the way. Dave texted me the info. You have a problem, you ask us, okay?" John nodded. He was definitely not expecting this. Dirk Strider, who looked about 20, wearing a rainbow-splattered shirt, hugging John with one arm while holding his box of clothes almost effortlessly with the other.  
The Striders gave John a tour of the apartment and strict ~~orders~~ requests to not touch the apple juice in the fridge under  _any_ circumstances, Dave's turntables, or the  ~~shitty~~  swords  _just yet._  He was also shown his room, which seemed decent. He set up his posters and put his clothes in the closet, then he  ~~got Dave's help to~~  put Colonel Sassacre's on the bedside table.   
After everything was set up, Dirk raced the two of them to the car and took them to Sonic to get burgers and milkshakes (which, btw, are half off after 8). The Striders got jalapeno chocolate milkshakes (yes, they really have those) and John got an Oreo cheesecake milkshake. (which is the shit)  
The day ended with them going back to the apartment (the Striders took the stairs because apparently 'elevators are for pussies'.) Soon after, the apartment was filled with darkness, snores, and the smell of food that John had saved.

 

 

 

 

  
i think this was kinda a filler chapter. WHO CARES


	20. Chapter 20

~Dave's POV~  
John only grabbed a few sets of clothes, so Bro and I decided to take him shopping. We drove to the mall, just talking about whatever, and decided to go to the food court first since Bro woke us up, yelled at us to get dressed, and dragged us into the car. Ugh. He woke us up at 7 am on a  _Saturday._  We got Panda Express (fuck yeah) and sat down. Halfway through our meals, I saw something. Something that would definitely not make John happy. Hell, it wasn't making me happy. I nodded to Bro in the general direction of the thing and he looked, making sure John didn't notice. I can tell he was shocked. He turned around and ate his breakfast-lunch-whatever quickly. I caught the message and ate quicker too. John was already done, so we threw our trash away and walked away from the food court.   
  
~timeskip~  
  
We walked out of the mall, now around noon. It took longer because we had to drag Bro away from the male employees that he was flirting with. Seriously, keep it in your pants, Bro. We also went to the food court to get actual real lunch again and I dragged them into Hot Topic. That was a few hours ago, back to the present.  
We loaded bags in the car- Bro put them all in the front seat and in most of the back seat so we would be squished together. Damn you, Bro. I don't think John seemed to mind, though. The drive back home was light and joking, despite what me and Bro saw earlier. We got home and watched a bunch of movies because why the hell not. After a few movies, John's phone rang. He put it on speaker since it was his dad. "What do you want," He asked in a flat tone. "I just wanted you to know that I moved on. I have a new daughter now. Her name is Skylar." That's all his dad said before hanging up. Bro and I exchanged uneasy glances before looking at John to see how he was holding up. A tear dripped down his face as he stood up, walked to his room and shut himself in. I went after him.  
An hour later, after much cuddling, crying and punching a pillow (not in that order), we emerged. I sat John down and took a deep breath. "John, there's something you should probably know. Today in the food court, the first time, me and Bro...  
 

We saw your dad with that girl."

 

 

 

 

 

OHHHHH SNAP-


	21. Chapter 21

~Author-chan's POV~  
A few weeks later, it was nearing the end of the semester and the boys were studying in Dave's room while Dirk was out getting groceries ~~(and probably hitting on the cashier)~~. Well, John was studying. Dave was laying upside down on his bed. "Joooooooohn," he whined. "Daaaaaaaave," John replied. "Come on, can't you take a break?" John sighed. "Dave, tests are next week. I have to study," He said. "I know, but can't you just take a break? You've been at it for three hours!" John sighed again, realizing that maybe he did need a break. He stood up, stretched, walked over to the bed, and lay in the position Dave was in. Dave got an idea. Flipping himself over, he crawled on top of John. "D-Dave, what are you doing?" John asked, face tinged with pink. Dave leaned down and pecked John's cheek. "Nothing," He grinned. As he dropped little kisses all over John's face, both of their faces grew steadily redder. Dave finally kissed John's lips, pulling away, leaving John wanting more. The next few minutes were spent just kissing, until it got too much and shirts were removed.   
  
(ok yeah you guys know where it goes from here o///o)  
  
~timeskip~  
  
Dirk walked in the door, victorious with groceries and the cute cashier's number. He immediately knew something was wrong; the washer was running. Dave would never run the washer willingly and John had did his laundry the previous day. He looked in his room to see John studying and Dave hanging upside down on his bed which was stripped down to just the mattress. Both boys' faces were completely red and John seemed to be in slight pain. Dirk immediately knew what happened while he was gone and grinned. He walked into his room while yelling,   
  
"I hope you didn't get John pregnant, Dave~!"  
  
  


 

 

 

 

o///o  
so um  
yeah  
this happened  
oh well  
i better get back to.. uh.. stuff  
so  
uh  
yeah  
go look up a smut if you want


	22. Chapter 22

~Author-chan's POV~  
Just another lazy day at the Strider/Egbert apartment. Dirk was, to quote Dave, "playing with his smuppets", and Dave and John were just chilling on the couch watching Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban because why the hell not ~~and besides Dave secretly loves that movie almost as much as John does~~. John's phone rang. Seeing it was his dad, he looked to Dave for reassurance. Dave nodded and yelled for Dirk to 'get his homosexuality-infested ass out here, John's dad is calling' to which Dirk responded 'okay okay just wait your homo-ness I'll be right out. don't fuck john again while you're waiting'. By this time, John had paused the movie and answered. "H..hello?" John asked. Dirk emerged from his room, sitting down across from the boys. "Hi.. John, I just wanted to say.. I'm sorry, I guess." Surprised looks were exchanged in the Stridebert apartment. (yeah? no?) "If you want to move back in, there's a spot for you." John, however, did not want to go back. "And what makes you think I want to go back? I have a home here with Dave, and Dirk. So thanks, but no thanks." He snapped before hanging up.  
The Striders exchanged glances. "That was a little harsh, John. Completely justified, but a bit harsh." Dirk spoke up. John realized it may have been a  _bit_ too harsh, but was distracted by his phone vibrating. A text from his dad. _'At least meet Skylar. She's a nice girl.'_ The Striders were reading over John's shoulder. "I think you should go for it," Dave said. John texted back. ' _fine. have her meet me at the mall food court tomorrow at 2.'_  
  
~the next day, at the mall food court~  
  
A pretty girl, looking about 13, walked up to John. "Are you John? John Egbert?" She asked. John nodded. "Are you Skylar? Skylar West?" He asked, taking a liking to her immediately. She gave him a goofy smile. "Hi, John! From what Dad told me about you, you seem awesome!" She held out her hand for a handshake, but John pulled her into a hug instead. Dave made it a group hug. John groaned. "Dave! I told you to not be weird!" The other two laughed. "No, it's okay. Hi Dave! I'm Skylar." He reassured John and introduced herself to Dave.  
The day was spent with lame jokes, trips to Hot Topic, and frozen yogurt. Around 5, Dadbert was there to pick Skylar up, so John and Skylar exchanged numbers and John told Skylar where he would be if she needed him. She thanked him with a smile and left with Dadbert. Dave slung an arm around John's shoulders and discussed just getting an early dinner at Denny's or something.   
The day ended on a good note, for Dave and John and for Skylar as well.  
  


 

 

 

 

 

Hope you like Skylar, because she's here to stay and I have big plans for her c;


	23. Chapter 23

~Skylar's POV~  
I, Skylar West, am a lesbian. I never knew until a couple days ago... I'm afraid to tell Dad because of the whole thing with John that he told me about, but I need to tell someone...  
I know! John will listen. I'll have to wait until midnight to sneak out. I could just text him, but where's the fun in that?  
I guess I'll have to tell you the story of how I found out while we're waiting for midnight to come. (look at my little Skylar, breaking the fourth wall. *wipes a tear*) So there was this guy at school, Kevin. He's totally cute and I guess one of his friends started dating one of my friends so now our groups hang out together. Well, a few days ago, we were just chilling and playing truth or dare. I chose dare and I had to kiss my best friend, Mykala. Well, I didn't want to seem like a chicken, so I just kissed her. She kissed back and we started making out and I guess I just knew. So yeah, that's my story. Oh look, time for dinner. I wonder what Dad's making tonight.  
  
~timeskip to 11:45~  
  
Okay, time to put the plan in action. I can't stay here, I'm afraid Dad is gonna hate me.. I should just stay with John. Gotta pack a few sets of clothes, socks, toiletries, etc. Okay, that should be good. Open my window.. good, it didn't make much noise. Bonus, there's a tree right there, so I don't have to break my legs jumping down!   
  
~Author-chan's POV~  
Skylar shimmied onto the branch, which surprisingly held her weight. She climbed down the tree, careful not to make a sound. From there, she snuck out of the neighborhood and began her walk to the Stridebert apartment.  
Skylar West, the lesbian is now Skylar West, the lesbian runaway.

 

 

 

 

  
so yeah I wrote this before the last half of the last chapter.   
Yay! *u*  
I have big plans for this story.  
So, until the next chapter!


	24. Chapter 24

~Author-chan's POV~  
Skylar walked into the lobby of the apartment complex the Striders and John lived in. She waved to the receptionist, who gave a friendly nod back. Stepping into the elevator, she exhaled. She really hoped John would let her in. The elevator dinged and she stepped off. It was the door second on the right.. There! She took a deep breath and knocked on the door. A minute later, it opened to reveal a sleepy John, whose eyes widened. "Skylar? What are you doing here? You realize it's..." He looked at the time. "12:18 AM, right? Well... tell me inside. Are you here alone? It looks like you are. You can sleep, uh, in my room if you want. Tell me in the morning. It has to be important if you came all the way here in the middle of the night." He rambled, showing Skylar to his room. She thanked him and wished him a good night, sorry for waking you up. John sighed and went into Dave's room. It would have to do for tonight.  
  
 ~timeskip to morning~  
  
When morning rolled around, Skylar was already up, sifting through the kitchen for something to make. She pulled out a box of pancake mix. "Making pancakes can't be that hard, can it..?" She muttered to herself. "Oh trust me, it can." She whirled around to see Dirk standing in the doorway, disheveled and yawning. He walked over and pulled a large box of Poptarts out from the pantry. "It's mostly John and Dave that do the cooking, but when it's my turn to cook, I just stick these in the toaster and call it done," he demonstrated. Skylar stifled a giggle, not wanting to wake up the boys. The two set to work; one put the Poptarts in while the other scrounged for something to go with them.   
When everything was finished, there was a large platter of toasted Poptarts, little oranges, toast, and apple juice.   
  
John awoke to the smell of food, confused. It was Dirk's turn to cook, wasn't it? Oh, that's right. Skylar. He tried to get out of bed, but was trapped. Dave's arm lay over his waist. John smiled a little and gently moved the arm, standing up and lightly padding into the kitchen. "Good morning, guys," he yawned, getting two 'good mornings' back. He sat down, taking a Poptart and munching on it. A few minutes later, a sleepy Dave walked in. "Good morning John, Bro, Skylar." He sat down and slumped over the table. He quickly sat up. "Skylar?? What are you doing here?" He questioned. John chimed in, "Yeah Skylar, you never did tell me why you came here." She looked down. In a quiet voice, she said, "I.. I ran away." Everyone was shocked. John got up to sit next to her and drew her into a hug. "Skylar, why would you run away?" He asked softly. "Well.. I'm a lesbian and I only found out a few days ago and Dad told me about you and I don't want him to hate me." She explained in a small voice. Dave hugged her from the other side. "Skylar, would he hate you?" Dave asked. "Well.. maybe." Dave shook his head. "No, he wouldn't. You are an amazing, cool, funny girl and who cares if you like girls instead of guys? Sure as hell not us, that's for sure. I bet he's worried about you." Skylar nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you're probably right.. now, enough of the chick flick moments. Eat." She smiled, taking a Poptart herself.  
  
Suddenly, Dirk's phone rang. 


	25. Chapter 25

~Author-chan's POV~  
Dirk pulled out his phone and answered it with one fluid move. "Hello, who is this on this early morning?" He listened for a bit, face growing more solemn. "Yes, he's here with me... Yes, I can bring him to the hospital. There's going to be two other guests, if that's alright? Yes, thank you. We'll be there right away." He hung up. John, Dave, and Skylar exchanged glances. Dirk cleared his throat. "John, Skylar.. your dad. He's in the hospital, he was in an accident."  
  
~timeskip to hospital~  
  
The Striders, John, and Skylar rushed into the hospital, asking where Mr. Egbert was, this was an emergency, we're his children so  _just tell us where he is, lady._ After much rushing around and rude nurses, they finally got to his room.   
Skylar clasped her hands to her face when they walked in, tears present in her eyes as they were in everyone else's. Mr. Egbert was in bad shape. His face had various cuts and bruises while his head was bandaged. Bandages also covered most of his torso, legs clearly broken. (idk what shape people are generally in after a car crash so) (i tried) John and Skylar rushed to his bedside.  
  
~timeskip because I'm not that cruel to make you guys read this depressing crap plus idk what to write HELP I HAVE FAILED AS AN AUTHOR~  
  
When the Striders, John and Skylar got back to the apartment, everyone was in a solemn mood. Mr. Egbert had asked them to take care of Skylar while he was in the hospital, which hopefully wouldn't be long.

To lighten the mood, Dirk opened up his phone, scrolled through, and suddenly _Me, Myself and I_ came on. The others stared in bewilderment as he started crazily dancing. Skylar giggled a bit before joining him. From there, it turned into an all-out dance party.  
  
After the mini dance party was over, Dirk drove them to a Chinese restaurant for dinner. You know, just your average dysfunctional family.  
  
  


 

 

 

well  
i kinda wrote those last two paragraphs whilst listening to music and a day after I wrote the middle which was forever after I wrote the beginning. so long story short, i just kinda wrote whatever while still sticking to my plan :P  
i chose that song because my mom's boyfriend's daughters love it and that part kinda came out different in my head than on screen but oh well  
:P


	26. Christmas Special!

~Author-chan's POV~  
The Striders hoisted up the Christmas tree, which just brushed the ceiling. As usual, they picked a too-big tree. But none of them cared; it was almost Christmas, after all!  
John pulled out the huge box of ornaments, Dave rushing over to help. Rose, Dave's cousin, was in the kitchen making hot chocolate- and a separate mug of apple juice which she stuck a candy cane in. As Dirk and Rose set up the ornaments, Dave pulled John aside and suddenly kissed him. When John went to ask why, Dave simply pointed up. Mistletoe. John smiled and kissed Dave again before going to help with the tree. Dave grabbed his special mug of apple juice and took a gulp, enjoying the scene. Suddenly, he was lifted from behind. Flailing, he tried to escape the grip of his brother who duck taped him to the top of the tree. He stayed there, pouting with his arms crossed, strapped to the top of the tree until Rose and John eventually got him down.  
  
~timeskip a few hours~  
  
Sneaking out of the Stridebert apartment, John and Dave ran to the Egbert house. John knew that Dadbert always leaves a window open during the week that led up to Christmas, so he quietly opened it and clambered in, helping Dave when it was his turn. John seeked out a fluffy blanket and a couple mugs while Dave lit the fireplace. When it was lit, Dave pulled out a thermos full of hot cocoa, poured it into the mugs, sat down in front of the fireplace next to John, and wrapped the fluffy blanket around the two of them. They sat there, wrapped in a fluffy blanket, sipping hot cocoa in front of a roaring fire, next to the one they love. They stayed that way long after they finished their hot chocolates, gazing into the flames. They fell asleep that way, snuggled up next to each other.   
  
~timeskip until morning~  
  
Skylar woke up, feeling something was amiss. The house was a bit warmer than usual. She snuck quietly down the stairs in her pajamas, only to see John and Dave asleep in front of the fireplace, which had a few small flames left. She giggled softly, put out the fire, and closed the window they left open. She shook them awake with a shit-eating grin on her face. "Wake up, lovebirds," she laughed. The boys woke up quickly, confusion then panic setting in. Skylar laughed again before unlocking the front door for them, which they left out of, thanking Skylar.


	27. Chapter 27

(Btw you might want to grab some tissues and idk a soda or something) (I did not write this chapter- [Screams into the void on Quotev](https://www.quotev.com/CompleteTrash) did and I am eternally grateful)

 

  
  
~Author-chan's POV~  
  
Beeps. They filled the hospital room, coming from the various machines that were connected to the sleeping body in front of him and Skylar.  
  
John didn't know the names of them- he didn't really care either. All he knew was that they were keeping their father alive. That's all that really mattered.   
  
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Skylar fiddle with the pink streak in her hair. She noticed him glancing and gave a half-hearted smirk.   
  
"Nervous habit." She explained with a shrug. John nodded, although he didn't really understand why she was so nervous. After all, his father was going to live, according to the doctors. With real, legitimate medical degrees. Who had done this time and time again.   
  
Okay, so maybe he was also a little nervous but that was understandable.   
  
He fidgeted, pins and needles creeping up his leg. He banged the leg against his chair, as an attempt to distract him from the pain. If Dave was here, he'd probably call him Thumper or some shit. Probably not but still. Luckily, he and Dirk weren't here, as they had gone on a junk food run.   
  
Suddenly, a small gasp filled the otherwise silent room. He and Skylar both looked up and at his father, who was awake. Something was....off though. His mouth and eyes had... dropped, he guessed was the best word for it.   
  
"Dad?" He asked, standing up. Gibberish answered him. Dimly, he noticed Skylar running off to get a doctor. The only thing he was truly aware of was his dad.   
  
He barely noticed when the doctors came in, shoving him aside as a nurse pulled him back. It seemed like ages, but probably wasn't, when he finally heard the heart monitor go flat.


	28. Chapter 28

A/N- Kankri: The auth9r wishes me t9 warn y9u, the readers, that this chapter has very triggering c9ntent. Trigger warnings may include: self harm, self-deprecating th9ughts, menti9n of death. That is all, pr9ceed if y9u wish.  
Me: thank you Kankri!

 

 

~author-chan's POV~  
Skylar lay on her bed, tears dripping off her face.  _Why? If I had never run away, he wouldn't have been hit by that car.._ she thought.  _This is all my fault._  
She got up and stumbled to the bathroom. She pulled out her razor, thinking nothing but negative thoughts.  _If I was never born, maybe he would still be alive._ The first line was made on her arm.  _He wouldn't have went to look for me._ Line number two.  _He wouldn't have been hit._ Line number three.  
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.  
"Skylar? Are you okay? You've been in there for a while now." John said.  
Skylar yelled, "I'm fine!"   
Her voice cracked, betraying her true state.  
John got worried. "Skylar, I'm coming in."  
Despite Skylar's protests, John opened the door, eyes widening at what he saw.  
"Skylar! Why would you do this to yourself?" he scolded, grabbing the razor, opening the window and chucking it out. He then searched for bandages and hydrogen peroxide to clean her wounds.  
Skylar stood there, sobbing with blood dripping off her arm. John gently sat her down on the bathtub edge, medical supplies in hand.  
After cleaning and dressing her wounds, John pulled her into a hug.  
"Skylar, why would you do this to yourself?" he asked softly.  
Skylar sniffed. "I-it's all m-my fault," she hiccuped.  
John pulled back to look at her. "Listen to me," he said. "It is NOT your fault. What happened, happened. It would have happened no matter what, even if a bit delayed. So please, I beg you. Stop beating yourself up about it."  
Skylar looked at the floor, still sniffling. "I g-guess you're r-right. Thanks, John." She moved back into the hug.  
  
~BONUS ENDING~  
Dave walked by the bathroom only to hear muffled laughing. He poked his head in. "Hey guys, what's-" he cut himself off, rendered speechless by the sight in front of him. John and Skylar were sitting on the floor, laughing. Skylar's wrist was covered with bandages, blood seeping through. "What.. happened here?" he asked.  
Skylar wiped a tear and looked up at Dave, smiling. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing."


	29. Chapter 29

~author-chan's POV~

It was a few weeks later when Dave, John, and Skylar went back to school. (well, Skylar transferred. Dirk took care of all the paperwork.) Dave and John parted ways with Skylar, wishing her a good day. They started walking to homeroom, not realizing they were holding hands.  
"Hey fags! Don't spread your gay around!" One of the jocks yelled, him and his cronies cracking up.  
"You got a problem with homosexuality, bulgefucker?" A familiar voice called. Dave and John's heads swiveled around to see Karkat and Sollux holding hands as well. ~~Eridan was looking lonely in the background, staring wistfully at Sollux.~~    
The jock smirked. "More gays, huh? This school seems infested with them. Maybe we oughta beat their homosexuality-infested asses until they're not gay anymore." The jock cracked his knuckles.   
Another familiar voice spoke. "Human, you will not 'beat their homose%uality-infested heinies' without going through me." John and Dave weren't as shocked to see Equius stand up for them, but were very much surprised seeing the rest of the trolls- except for Tavros and Gamzee, who were engaging in sloppy makeouts- back them up. The jocks were pale as sheets now.   
"Well.. heh heh, we were just.. uh.. kidding! Um, we'd better get to class now." They ran off.   
Sollux yelled, "That'2 riight, a22wiipe2! You better run!"  
Nepeta stepped forward as well. "Yeah! If you want to pick on them, you'll have to go through us!"   
"Looks like you two have some new friends. By the way, what did I miss?" Skylar asked, walking over to the group.  
"Shouldn't you be in class?" Dave asked.  
"Yeeeees, but I couldn't find my way so I went the long way and here I am now." She did a little twirl.  
"What kind of long way did you take that makes you go over to this section of the school?"  
"A very very very long way. Welp, I'll be on my way now... bye!" Skylar smiled, speeding off.


	30. Teachers/Staff/Etc

I thought I would put a list of who should be what. Enjoy and hopefully this will help your understanding of the story!  
  
Doc Scratch- principal  
Damara- geography teacher  
Rufioh- pokemon club  
Mituna- PE teacher #2  
Kankri- homeroom  
Meulin- school counselor  
Porrim- home ec  
Latula- PE teacher  
Aranea- Math (calculus) teacher  
Horuss- robotics club  
Kurloz- ASL club director  
Cronus- theater director  
Meenah- Assistant Principal  
Calliope- nurse  
Caliborn- detention  
Hussie- superintendent


	31. Chapter 31

~ author-chan's POV ~  
When Dave, John, and Skylar got home, four things happened. John went to his and Dave's room to study, Skylar went straight to her room, Dirk poked his head out of the kitchen to welcome them home (he was wearing boxers and an apron. John didn't ask and Skylar was too busy texting someone), and Dave starting yelling at him to "put some damn clothes on, Bro!"  
~timeskip of about an hour~  
After the ministrife with Dirk, Dave joined John but didn't do much studying. He just flopped on the bed and took a nap. Hey, school is tiring. Suddenly, a loud squeal rang through the apartment. John was instantly out of his seat and was out the door by the time Dave gained full consciousness. He rushed to Skylar's room, ignoring Dirk ("She's probably just fangirling. It's very common among teenage girls.") and flinging her door open.   
Skylar looked up from her phone, surprised but grinning. "Are you okay?" John asked. She nodded frantically. "You'll never guess what just happened to me!" She squealed. "What?" Dave asked from the doorway, rubbing his eyes and trying to quell his bedhead  ~~and failing epically~~.  
She clutched her phone to her chest, doing a little dance. "Mykala asked me out!" she shouted.  
John visibly relaxed. "Ok good, I thought you were being murdered or something." He stiffened again. "Wait a minute. You have a girlfriend now?" he questioned suspiciously.  
Dave sat down on the bed next to Skylar. "Ok, ok. Everyone just calm down. Skylar, arrange a time for us to meet her. Congrats by the way. And John, if she isn't worthy of our Skylar-" he hugged said girl- "we'll smother her in smuppet ass. Okay?"   
The other two started laughing and agreed.


	32. Chapter 32

~ author-chan’s POV (wow, i don’t do a lot of character POVs anymore, do i?) ~  
Dave, John, and Skylar walked in the doors of the school. Skylar was a freshman and the boys were juniors (of course they would have different homerooms) so they started to split up. Dave and John waved goodbye (still holding hands because they knew no one would fuck with them anymore). Skylar waved back and walked off, only to spot a fairly pretty girl and glomp her. The boys assumed that was Mykala. Mykala pulled back, laughing, and kissed Skylar.  
Suddenly, someone shouted, “Get a room, fags!”  
Another voice sneered, “Yeah! No one wants to see your gayness.”  
John ran over to where he heard the shout come from, found the asshole who yelled, and punched him straight in the face. Dave raced over behind him and tackled the second guy who shouted. Skylar and Mykala watched the fight, shocked, as a few more guys joined the fight. A couple of the trolls that were in the vicinity rushed over to help Dave and John. Eventually, the fight was broken up by a teacher but it was clear that the boys (and the trolls) beat the _living shit_ out of those assholes. John had a broken arm, and a few cuts and scrapes and bruises (so did Dave), as well as a huge smile on his face. It was worth it if it was for Skylar. ~~(even if they did get three week’s worth of detention.)~~  
~ timeskip to after they get back to the apartment from the hospital brought to you by the Striders in matching sexy anime girl cosplay ~  
John sat down on the couch, wincing and trying not to jostle his arm. Dave was overly worried, asking John if he needed anything or if his arm hurts or is Bro being too loud I can go kick his ass if you want. John was finally able to get him to calm down by kissing him. After that, him, Dave, and Skylar got popcorn and had a Disney movie marathon because why the fuck not.  
Later, when Bro emerged from his room to get something to drink, he saw the three of them fast asleep. ~~He then got a picture or two or six.~~


	33. Adventures in School

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> idk what this is. Maybe a glimpse into their everyday lives? Oh well. Enjoy

HOMEROOM  
John and Dave walked in and sat down, now next to each other. Karkat came over and talked to John a bit while Dave snickered. Fed up, Karkat went back to his seat while his older brother, the annoying elusive clueless teacher Mr. Vantas delivered another lecture, this time on not doing your work on time, etc. Dave pissed him off yet again and got detention, again.  
PERIOD 1  
John went to AP Biology, where they were dissecting frogs. John was paired with his distant cousin Jade, who seemed to know a lot about frogs. Together, they aced the assignment.  
Dave blew things up with lithium and water. The whole town probably would have been blown up if he used francium, which he almost did.  
PERIOD 2  
John and Dave sat together in math and pondered just what the ever-loving fuck a tessellation was, or a column vector. Seriously, what is up with those.  
PERIOD 3  
Coaches Mituna and Latula had the class try skateboarding. John fell on his face multiple times while Dave cruised around, laughing at him but helping John up all the same.  
PERIOD 4  
Lunch. Nothing too special about that.  
PERIOD 5  
John went to Physics, attempting to determine how many Newtons of force it would take to keep a weight in the air.  
Dave jammed out in Music, writing down the notes and beat of his favorite songs and analyzing them.  
PERIOD 6  
John then went to English, where he wrote a crackfic about Dirk and one of his katanas. Well, let's just say they don't call them crackfics for nothing.  
Dave baked some cookies, finding the exact ratio of sugar to butter, butter to eggs, and yes, eggs to milk. How daring. Then, while they were in the oven, he made the frosting: confectioners' sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and butter. Ahh, buttercream frosting. (PSA: i am estimating. please, do not attempt making cookies without a legit recipe or i will probably be held accountable for food poisoning and i don't want you guys to die.)  
PERIOD 7  
John and Dave sat together in Geography. Whilst the teacher was discussing and comparing the economies of Norway and Sweden, John and Dave were laughing about how put together, they look like a dick. Boys will be boys.  
AFTER SCHOOL  
John and Dave walked home, picking up Skylar on the way. The three of them cracked jokes and told stories until they got to the apartment, where they did homework/took naps.

  
And so ends their school day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i don't really know what this is but i like it


	34. Chapter 34

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> date night *u*

~Dave's POV~

I poked my head out of my room. "Hey bro, is he coming or what?" I yelled.

Bro and Skylar were both sitting on the couch, staring at their phones. Bro jumped up, clutching his phone and did a little dance. "Yep!" he replied.

I sighed. I swear, he acts like a teen girl. Speaking of teen girls. "Is Mykala coming, Skylar?" I asked.

She stared at her phone a little longer before it buzzed. When it did, she repeated Bro’s dance and said, “Yeah, she’s coming!”

I sighed. There’s me and John and then two teenage girls living in this apartment. I walked into the living room, shooing them out. Time to set up the fort.

Bro’s boyfriend and Skylar’s girlfriend are coming over for a triple date night with me and John tonight. We’re gonna have stir fry and watch movies, which seems pretty simple. Not much can go wrong, right?

I moved some chairs in the living room, setting some blankets in between. Had to make sure there’s enough room for six people in there. We’re gonna need more chairs.

“Bro, can you go get more chairs? We need… ten more? You can just get some crappy plastic chairs. I’ll even pay you when you get back. Just remember- _only chairs._ ”

Bro nodded, grabbed his car keys, and left the apartment.

Walking into the kitchen, I saw John staring at the stove with a look of puzzlement on his face. “Need any help, mister chef?” I smirked, leaning against the doorframe.

He jumped, too deep in concentration that he didn’t notice me. He gave a half-smile back. “Yeah, I guess I could use a little help..”

I walked over smiling to help John make stir fry. “Okay, so for six people we’ll need three packs of ramen so get out two chicken flavor and one oriental. When you have that, boil six cups of water in a pot.” He did so. “I’ll shred some carrots and maybe you can scramble some eggs? I would use four.”

After working a while, the door opened. “I’m home, little man. And guess who I ran into! Jake!” I heard a ‘hello’ come from the living room. “I also ran into Mykala in the lobby. Would you believe it?”

Suddenly, a shriek came from Skylar’s room. “I’m not ready!” could be heard, as well as items falling to the floor and rustling of fabric.

I chuckled. “Hey bro! Hi everyone. Bro, how much do I owe you for the chairs?”

After paying the man, I returned to the kitchen to actually smell something good. John had put the ramen in the pot while I was away and was poking at it to break it up. I smiled and hugged him from behind. “Great job. Now all that’s left is to add frozen peas and corn, add the carrots, and stir it. When that’s done, drain it in the sink, put it back in the pot, and stir in the flavor packets and eggs. Think you can handle that?” I asked.

John nodded in return, smirking. “I’m not a child Dave, and a child could handle this.”  
“Yeah, but maybe not Bro and we both know how old he really is.”

Chuckling, I walked into the living room to finish the fort- only to see Bro and his boyfriend Jake engaging in sloppy makeouts.

“PDA! PDA! My eyes, my virgin fucking eyes!” I shouted, covering said eyes.

“You’re not even a virgin, Dave!” Bro shouted back. “You and John have kissed in front of me plenty of times, you damn hypocrite!”

One ministrife later, stir fry was on the kitchen table. We all crowded around it, eating like a law banning Asian food had been passed.

I finished early, wanting to finally get that goddamn fort ready. Setting up the chairs, I laid blankets and sheets over the tops, making sure that they would stay. Nodding in satisfaction, I grabbed extra blankets to put inside the fort and set some movies by the TV. Karnubs lent me some romcoms to watch tonight, saying he had plenty and to not worry my pasty ass about it.

When everyone else was done, they filtered into the living room, deciding to leave the plates be. Crawling into the fort, everyone squeezed in, me being the last- someone had to start the movie.

~timeskip one movie~

I yawned, looking at everyone else. Skylar and Mykala were fast asleep on each other, which was fucking adorable. I looked at Bro and nodded over to them. He sighed, making his way out of the fort and picking up Skylar while Jake did the same for Mykala, carrying them into Skylar’s room and laying them down on the bed. They came back, Bro putting in the next movie and entering the fort once again.

~timeskip one more movie bc I’m lazy~

I yawned again, deeper than last time. John was nodding off, so I helped him out of the fort and helped him to our room, collapsing us both on the bed and promptly passing the fuck out. While unconsciousness was creeping up on me, I heard the beginning of another movie starting to play.

~author-chan’s POV~

Dirk and Jake snuggled in the fort, encompassed in like four blankets that were laying around in that huge space. In the middle of the movie, right when Dirk was starting to nod off, his phone rang. It was Mykala’s mom, wondering where she was. He offered to drive her home, explained,  and hung up, also turning to Jake and offering a ride. Sleepily agreeing, he retrieved the sleeping girl, woke her up, and the three of them went down to the car.

When the eldest Strider returned to the apartment, he smiled and started cleaning.

  
The next day, Skylar found him asleep standing up and with his hands still in the water that the dishes were soaking in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes that is the recipe i use for stir fry- i've found that two packs of ramen feed four people.  
> i encourage you to use this recipe! (just be super careful) and you can add spices and stuff to it, it's really good!  
> and yes that is how i make a fort


	35. Chapter 35

~let’s do… Skylar’s POV~

I walked into school with John and Dave, chatting happily. The time came for us to go our separate ways, so I went down my hallway while they went down theirs, saying our see you soons and heading to our classrooms. I turned the corner, blissfully unaware of what I would find.

The school slut, Ashley (I apologize if it’s any of your guys’s names- change it if you want) was making out with Mykala. Stopping in my tracks, I couldn’t do anything else other than stare.

“W-why?” I finally croaked out, tears streaming down my face. They broke apart, surprised. “Why?” I repeated before dashing off to find someone. John, Dave, one of the trolls, it didn’t matter.

~timeskip~

I sat on the floor of the upstairs girls’ bathroom, the one no one went in because it was always clogged and filthy. That’s high school for you.

“A-and when I turned the corner, they were- they were-” I blubbered to John, who was sitting beside me and rubbing my back.

“That’s horrible. I am so, so sorry, Skylar.” He whispered.

I sniffed. Just then, Dave came running in. “What’s wrong? I got a text from John.” He looked frantically before he saw us.

John whispered the story to Dave as he was sitting down. A look of understanding crossed his face.

Speaking up, he started to rub my back too. “I’m sorry, Sky. Do you want me to smother her in puppet ass?”

Smiling a little, I shook my head. “No thanks. Smother Ashley though.”

Dave nodded. “It’s a deal. Hey, do you want to hear about when I thought John was cheating on me?”

Curious, I nodded.

He looked at John, smiling, as if it were a good memory. “It was last year, about a quarter into the year. I was sick one week, with the flu I think, and John had no other friends except Karkat.” A protest from John was ignored. “So, naturally, those two spent a lot of time together- became ‘moirails’ or whatever. Who knows what that shit means. Well, when I came back, I thought they were dating, so I ran to the bathroom too. And I will unironically admit I was crying. John ran after me and talked to me about it- he called Karkat Shouty McNubs.” He snorted. “Man, I am never gonna let him live that down.”

By then, I wasn’t crying anymore- I was laughing. It was hard to see those two fighting, they got along so well.

Just then, Mykala came running into the bathroom. I glared at her a bit before hiding my face in my knees. (I probably should have mentioned she was sitting like that oops)

“Skylar, I am so so so sorry! She kissed me, I would never cheat on you like that. Please, you have to believe me!”

~John’s POV~

Dave and I took that as our cue to leave, let them talk it through like we did. We exited the bathroom, hearing the two girls talking.

“Think they’ll be alright?” I asked softly.

Dave put an arm around my shoulder. “Yeah, I think so. We got through it, didn’t we?” He half-smiled.

I smiled back. “Yeah, we did.”

We walked in silence from then, walking down the middle of the empty hallway with no real intention of going back to class.


	36. Chapter 36

~Author-chan’s POV~  
“-and that’s when I started freaking out. There was no teacher, I somehow made laughing gas, and his arm was on fire.” Dave finished his story, cracking up with John and Skylar as he swung open the apartment door. Everyone’s mirth was cut short as they were faced with something small, furry, and incredibly dirty.  
There was a cat sitting in the middle of the floor.  
The teenagers and the cat were engaged in a staring contest until Dirk walked out of his room, pillows duct taped to his body and wearing oven mitts. His shades, for once, were off. “Oh, hey guys.” He greeted, picking up the cat. “I’m just giving Zazzles here a bath.”  
John was the first to respond. “...Zazzles?” He asked.  
Dirk nodded. “It’s because he’s so zazzy,” he replied.  
Dave sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Why- Bro, why is there a cat in our apartment and for fuck’s sake why are you friends with it?”  
Dirk started walking into the bathroom with ‘Zazzles’. “I saw him in an alley on my way home. What was I supposed to do?”  
Skylar spoke up. “Well, I think Zazzles is cute. Even if he is super dirty,” she said.  
“Yeah, he does have a certain charm to him,” John said.  
Dave sighed again. “Well, shit. Looks like I’m outnumbered on this one. Fine, have your goddamn cat. I don’t care.” He stalked over to his and John’s room.  
Dirk emerged from the bathroom, with a very wet, very unhappy but very clean Zazzles. Under all that dirt and grime, he turned out to be a silver tabby. Dirk started to rub him dry with a towel. “You’re a good kitty, aren’t you, Zazzles?” He crooned, but suddenly stopped short. “Wait, shit. What about food and stuff?”  
John said, “Give me the keys to the car, I can run to the store and get him some.”  
“I’ll go too!” Skylar piped up.  
Keys were handed to John, who left with Skylar- only to return a while later with cat food, a litter box, fancy cat dishes, cat litter, and an array of toys. That cat sure is spoiled.  
~timeskip to next week~  
Dirk entered the apartment with groceries, immediately spotting something he knew would eventually happen.  
Dave was fast asleep on the couch, Zazzles asleep on his lap, and the human’s hand resting on the cat’s back as if he fell asleep petting said cat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haha can you tell i watch the big bang theory  
> anyways idk what this is


	37. Epilogue

~ Dave's POV ~  
I straightened my tie in the mirror, taking a deep breath. You can do this, Strider. You are not going to fuck up. If Shouty McNubs could do it, then dammit, so can you.  
I left me and John's bedroom, making my way to the living room. "Hey babe, you ready?" I called.  
The reply I got was not from the person I expected. "Yeah, just about!" shouted Skylar.  
I chuckled. "Not you, the other babe."   
John emerged from the hallway. "Yeah, I guess," he said. I was breathless- he looked spectacular. He was wearing what he wore for our first date all those years ago, but now with a black dress coat over it. Ironically, I was wearing what I wore that day also with a coat. Skylar looked okay too, I guess. No I'm just joking, she looked very lovely in her purple knee-length dress that matched her newly dyed hair and black flats. 

~author-chan's POV~

The three of them filed out of the house, John locking the door behind them while Dave started the car.  
After a short drive, they arrived at a fancy restaurant.  
Walking in, John and Skylar marveled at the splendor while Dave checked them in. The rather snooty-looking maitre'd led them to their table and laid out some menus with a fake-looking smile.  
After their food had come and gone, Dave checked his jacket pocket one last time and took a deep breath. This is it, Strider. Don't fuck up.  
Dave cleared his throat, getting the attention of the other two at the table. He stood up from his chair, heart pounding, and got on one knee while taking the ring out of his pocket. John covered his mouth with one of his hands, tears brimming at the corner of his eyes.  
Dave took a deep breath. "Egbert- no, fuck I mean John _-_  it's almost hard to remember when we first met six years ago, and not as hard to remember our first date, or the first time we- you know what, nevermind that last thing. This is a fancy place, dammit. Ahem, I mean. We've had a lot of good memories, and some bad ones, but hey- what's life without a couple sour lemons? Wait, fuck, that was terrible. All lemons are sour. You get the idea." Skylar was motioning for him to hurry up, so he not-so-discreetly stuck out his tongue at her and continued. "My point is, we've made a lot of memories as boyfriends and I hope we can make more, this time as husbands. So, John Egbert, will you-"  
Dave was cut off by a crying John shrieking a yes and launching himself at the other. The restaurant was filled with applause and some disdainful faces but hey, what's life without a few sour lemons.  
Leaving the check on the table with about enough money, they exited the restaurant and returned home, where poor Skylar had to put on music full-volume to block out the rather noisy newly engaged couple.  
  
~ _END~_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow.  
> i can't believe it's over.  
> holy shit.  
> is this what it's like for parents to see their kids go to college?  
> i put SO MUCH planning and time into this and now.. it's over.  
> wow.  
> i can't thank you guys enough for even just reading this, it means the world to me. and it just blows my mind that anyone would leave any kudos, like damn.  
> i.. don't really know what to say now.  
> well.  
> i guess.  
> for now (until you lil shits (nah jk love you guys) request for the oneshots)  
> see ya.


End file.
